— –Ilyana Rasputin– —
"...Illyana."
The voice echoed softly through her mind, gentle and familiar, yet somehow just a little bit wrong. She paused, blinking sleepily into the darkness.
"Hmnh?" She murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Professor?"
She stood slowly, yawning as she padded quietly across the polished wooden floorboards, her oversized slippers making a quiet shuffling noise. Illyana Rasputin was only eleven, with bright golden hair that bounced when she walked, and eyes full of hope and wonder. Over the past few years, Xavier's Mansion had become her entire world, a warm, safe place filled with the scent of old books and the cheerful laughter of students like Kitty and Jean echoing down the hallways. It was a place where she believed dreams could come true.
Before the mansion, her world had been the harsh yet comforting embrace of the Russian countryside, snowy mornings where her older brothers would protect her from the cold. Especially Piotr, he could become metal, like a knight in armor straight out of her fairytale books. Her brother was a hero, and Illyana wanted nothing more than to be just like him.
Maybe one day she'd lift mountains or summon storms. Maybe she'd glow as brightly as Jean or dance through the skies like Ororo. Professor Xavier had gently hinted at her own potential, telling her that she, too, might one day have a "gift." Until then, she filled her days with exploration, laughter, and endless curiosity. She read every story she could find, painted flowers that stained her fingertips for days, and spun in circles down hallways, dreaming about the kind of mutant she might become.
Would she be brave, like Piotr? Would she make him proud?
"Follow my voice, Illyana…" The strange whisper returned, gentle but insistent. "Follow me to Paradise."
She paused again, clutching her teddy bear tighter, a hint of confusion passing through her.
"Professor…?"
Only Jean and Professor Xavier had ever spoken into her mind like this. Illyana hesitated, biting her lip nervously, but after a moment she gathered her courage. She was safe here, the professor would never lead her astray. Maybe something had happened. Maybe the mansion was under attack and this was the professor's way of guiding her to safety.
She moved carefully through the mansion, the dark corridors seeming longer and emptier than usual. Eventually, she reached the center of the house, where a small, glowing portal shimmered faintly in the dimness.
"Come inside, Illyana. You'll be safe here." The voice whispered again, calm and reassuring.
For a heartbeat, she froze, filled with uncertainty. Then, drawing in a deep, brave breath, she whispered to herself. "You've gotta be brave, Illyana."
She trusted Professor Xavier. He'd never hurt her. He was family.
Stepping cautiously into the shimmering portal, Illyana felt the world twist around her. Colors blurred briefly, and then suddenly, she was standing in a grand, strange room. Dark stone walls towered around her, faintly illuminated by flickering torches, and everything seemed like something out of the fairytales Piotr used to read to her.
But then her eyes landed on the figure standing in front of her, tall, imposing, and utterly unfamiliar.
Crimson skin, piercing golden eyes, and twisted horns curling back from his forehead. He smiled down at her, a sharp, unsettling grin that made her skin crawl for only just a second.
Yet Illyana tilted her head, relaxing just slightly as curiosity overtook her fear.
"Oh…." She said softly, her eyes widening with a hint of fascination. "Are you… related to Kurt?"
After all, Kurt Wagner had blue skin, a tail, and could teleport. Maybe this red-skinned man was family.
It made sense, didn't it?
The man let out a low, amused chuckle, stepping toward her slowly. His smile widened, colder now, and his voice carried a sinister edge.
"No, Illyana." He said softly, almost gently, as he reached out to grasp her chin, tilting her face upwards to inspect her carefully. "I am something far better."
— –Alexander Montclair– —
Alex didn't hesitate. Without a second thought, he raised his makeshift weapon and aimed squarely at the demon's chest. The polished black barrel trembled slightly in his grip, partly from the unstable vibration of the overloaded Aether Core humming inside, though mostly, he had to admit, because of fear.
One shot, he reminded himself. He only had one real shot. Any more than that and the core would destabilize entirely, and he'd be lucky if all it did was burn his hand.
Thankfully, the demon stood motionless across the chamber, making it an easier shot. He had his crimson arms crossed lazily, while his golden eyes glinted with cold amusement.
Alex clenched his jaw, tightening his grip on the weapon, forcing down the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. Then he squeezed the trigger. A fierce emerald glow burst from the barrel, the weapon vibrating violently as it unleashed a torrent of unstable energy. It shot forward like bottled lightning, scorching the air itself.
For a moment, Alex thought, or well, hoped, that he had hit him. But at the last instant, the demon shifted slightly, almost casually. The searing beam sailed harmlessly past, colliding instead with the stone wall behind, sending shards of rock flying through the chamber in a cloud of choking dust.
Alex staggered back, coughing as debris rained down around him. Yet, even through the cloud of dust he could hear laughter, deep, sinister laughter. The demon was laughing at him.
He quickly steadied himself, aiming again desperately, but the core had already overheated. He could see molten metal dripping from the barrel, sparks spitting from exposed wiring. Another shot would rip the gun apart in his hands.
"Dammit." Alex cursed as his eyes began darting frantically for options. His heart hammered in his chest; he knew he wouldn't survive standing here like an idiot. And in his desperation he came up with a reckless idea.
He glanced again at the ruined weapon. The exposed Aether Core flickered violently, energy pulsing erratically. One wrong move, and it would… well, it would do what everything he had invented so far would.
Alex gripped the glowing core and tore it from the frame. Sparks erupted, burning his fingertips as he yanked free a wire connecting the regulator. Instantly, the green glow darkened ominously, becoming a volatile, pulsating emerald that scorched his palms.
"Hey, asshole!" He shouted, and hurled the unstable core directly at the demon's smirking face.
He hadn't hoped for much. Best case? Maybe he'd vaporize half the chamber along with the smug bastard's head. Worst case… well, at least he'd leave a burn mark.
But what he didn't expect was for the demon to lazily reach out and snatch the core from midair with a grin. He caught it as if Alex had tossed him nothing more dangerous than a softball. Seeing his smile made him feel dread like he never had before.
The demon stared down at the volatile core, golden eyes glittering, before returning his gaze slowly to Alex's stunned expression. The grin on his face growing wider by the second.
"Now, aren't you an interesting one?" The demon purred, clearly amused. Then, almost casually, the core in his hand vanished. In the distance, he could hear what sounded like a massive explosion, which meant that the demon had simply teleported his best chance at escape away.
"Anything else?" The demon asked mildly, though Alex could hear the mockery in his tone.
Alex swallowed dryly, his heart was racing. He stared helplessly at the somewhat melted remains of his best weapon in his hands, his bravado evaporating.
"No…" He finally said, though it was nothing more than a whisper.
"Good." The demon replied, his tone dripping contempt as he approached leisurely, each slow step echoing ominously in the chamber. Alex instinctively backed up, but quickly found himself cornered against the stone wall.
Once the demon was in front of Alex, he crouched down, and in an instant, his hand shot forward. The demon's fingers wrapped around Alex's throat as he effortlessly lifted him off the ground. Panic and fear passed through Alex, but with the adrenaline inside of him, he tried to pull off one final attack.
He reached into his back pocket, his fingers wrapping tightly around the screwdriver he had grabbed from his lab just seconds before the demon kidnapped him. Then, shouting by instinct, he swung it toward the demon's right eye.
Yet, the demon caught his wrist easily, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"No, no." He whispered, as if gently scolding a misbehaving child. Then, with a sharp squeeze, Alex felt the bones in his hand shatter, pain exploding through him. He opened his mouth to scream, but the demon tightened his grip, choking the sound back down.
"I let you throw your little tantrum. Now it's time for you to be quiet and listen."
Alex writhed helplessly, his lungs burning, his vision blurring at the edges. His good hand clawed feebly at the demon's fingers trying to loosen his grip enough to take one more breath, but it was useless.
"How very intriguing." The demon murmured thoughtfully, leaning closer as he studied Alex's face. His nails dug painfully into Alex's neck, drawing trickles of blood. Alex tried to shout, but once again, he felt the sound be caught on his throat.
"Even this much isn't enough?" The demon muttered, more to himself than Alex, sounding genuinely intrigued. "No matter. You'll awaken it soon enough."
The demon's free hand suddenly plunged toward Alex's chest. For a fraction of a second, he was confused, then agony tore through every nerve, lighting his body on fire. A silent scream clawed up his throat, his body seizing uncontrollably from the pain, before darkness mercifully swept him under, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
— — —
Opening his eyes, Alex found himself lying on a cold, rough stone floor.
Without the adrenaline of being kidnapped by a demon, his body could process the sensations of the world around him far more clearly. He tried to breathe, but the air itself felt stale, like trying to inhale smoke that never quite left your lungs. The kind of air that felt old. Stagnant. Unnatural.
Closing his eyes, he let out a series of uncomfortable coughs.
It wasn't just the air, it was the place itself.
He wasn't one to talk about the "energy of the Earth," but he could feel it all around him. There was an almost static-like feeling in the air, tickling his nerves and raising goose bumps on his arms.
His hand throbbed with pain, but as he lifted it up, he noticed something strange. The bones shattered just moments before were… healed? He felt confused and uneasy as he sat up slowly, cautiously glancing around the dim room. Then, he froze.
Across from him, partially hidden behind what looked like an old wooden bed, was a pair of eyes staring silently at him.
Instantly, Alex scooted backward until his back hit the wall, his eyes darting frantically around the room in search of anything to use as a weapon. There wasn't much to find. In fact, aside from the stone walls and floor, the place reminded him oddly of a bedroom, like some twisted version of a medieval castle chamber.
For several long moments, Alex and the pair of eyes simply stared at each other, neither willing to break the silence first. Finally, swallowing down the lump in his throat, Alex gathered just enough courage to speak.
"Hello?" He called, his voice embarrassingly shaky.
There was no immediate answer, just a silence that stretched on until he felt nearly suffocated by it. Just when he was certain he'd imagined the entire thing, the owner of the eyes moved ever-so-slightly forward, clearly as frightened as he was.
"Hello?" Came a small, timid voice. A girl's voice, young and nervous, with a faint accent he couldn't quite place. Russian, maybe?
Alex stared in surprise, suddenly unsure of himself.
"Are you… are you a kid?"
There was a long pause, and then slowly, hesitantly, the girl stepped out into the faint light spilling from the room's lone flickering lantern. She was young, very young, probably under thirteen, with messy golden hair framing her face and wide blue eyes fixed nervously on him.
It was one thing to be brought into a situation like this, but for a kid to be here… If she were anything like him, then she had probably experienced months of psychological torture from "Mr. Ghost."
And, judging by her messy appearance, she probably had been here for at least a few days longer than he had. Or, well, at least he hoped it was only a few days.
"Did that demon hurt you?" Alex asked softly, raising both his hands to show he meant no harm.
No one deserved to have their innocence ruined, especially not by being dragged to hell by a demon.
The girl's eyes widened at the mention of the demon, and she quickly shook her head, her tangled hair bouncing slightly. After a pause, she took a small, shaky breath, clearly trying her best to be brave.
"Belasco." She whispered softly, her voice barely audible. "His name is Belasco."
Alex frowned slightly, rolling the name around in his mind. It sounded familiar, though he couldn't quite place why. His life would be far easier if he knew more about the Marvel world. But he had to deal with the information he had.
"Belasco…" He repeated quietly. "Okay. How long have you been here?"
She tilted her head, thinking for a moment.
"Two weeks, maybe?" She murmured, taking a tentative step closer to him, her eyes searching his face with cautious curiosity.
Alex let out a humorless chuckle, trying, and mostly failing, to lighten the mood.
"Guess we're cellmates now. Demon dungeon edition." He said softly, trying to give her a friendly smile.
The girl blinked in confusion, tilting her head again.
"What's a… cellmate?"
"It's, uh…" Alex paused, realizing the absurdity of explaining it to a frightened child. "Never mind." He sighed, finally allowing his tense body to relax slightly as he leaned back against the cool stone wall. "Do you know what's going on here?"
The girl stared at him quietly, clearly debating what to say. Finally, she shrugged, her eyes lowered slightly as she spoke again.
"Belasco said… he's going to help me get stronger." She said, though her uncertain tone made it clear she wasn't convinced. "And he promised if we help him, he'll take us back home."
Her voice wavered on "home," like she didn't quite believe in the word anymore.
"Right." He muttered, stopping himself from telling her that he himself didn't believe that was going to happen. Then, after a few moments of awkward silence, he asked. "And this Belasco… what exactly does he want?"
She shrugged again helplessly. Then, as if remembering something, she reached up to her neck and pulled out a delicate golden necklace from beneath her worn clothes.
"He gave me this." She said softly, stepping closer and holding it out toward him. Alex leaned forward, studying it. It was a small golden pendant, intricately carved with a pentagram. Embedded within were two tiny blood-red gems on two of the corners of the pentagram, glinting ominously in the dim light.
"Two gems?" He asked, suddenly uneasy. "Does it mean something?"
She nodded slightly, eyes fixed nervously on the necklace.
"Belasco made one with my help, but after you came…" She trailed off, glancing away uneasily. "He added another."
Alex swallowed hard, feeling a cold dread settle into his gut. Whatever Belasco wanted, it certainly couldn't be good. He glanced once more at the necklace, then back into the girl's wide, anxious eyes. Taking a breath, he forced himself to offer a reassuring smile, more confident than he felt.
"I'm Alex." He said gently. "What's your name?"
"Illyana." She replied softly, voice trembling slightly but holding his gaze. After a pause, she added, almost as an afterthought, "Did… did my brother send you? Or Professor Xavier?"
Her tone wasn't hopeful, just quietly curious. Alex's heart sank as he heard the question, because the truth was, he wasn't sure he could even save himself. However, the mention of Xavier did put a few more pieces in place.
First was the name Illyana, which, if he was being honest, didn't give him much to work with. If she were a hero or villain, or meant to become one in the future, then maybe her nickname would tell him exactly who she was. For now, he would just assume she was another random Xavier student who got kidnapped for a weekly comic issue.
Then, there was the second part.
He knew Azazel, who was a red demon looking mutant, just like Belasco. Maybe Belasco was somehow connected to Azazel, and by extension, the X-Men. It made sense with the teleportation powers he assumed he had. After all, how else would he have grabbed him from his lab back at home?
However, that also brings with it a barrage of different questions. Questions he didn't want to get carried away with at the moment.
In the end, either the X-Men would come to rescue them, or…. Or well, they might actually be screwed. But looking into her innocent, hopeful eyes, he knew he couldn't tell her that.
"No… they didn't." He answered quietly, giving her the best reassuring smile he could muster. "But if we stick together, maybe we can both figure a way out."
Illyana nodded slowly, finally stepping closer until she was standing directly in front of him. After another hesitant pause, she sat carefully next to him against the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly.
"I'm glad you're here." She whispered softly after a long silence, her voice barely more than a breath. "I don't… I don't like being alone here."
Alex took a deep breath, glancing around the dark, unfamiliar room once more before quietly nodding in agreement.
"Yeah." He murmured, exhaustion and fear slowly giving way to a stubborn determination he didn't know he had. "Neither do I."
If he was being honest, maybe this would have been his breaking point. Blowing himself up to end it all didn't sound so terrible at the moment. Better that than waiting around for a demon to do whatever it had planned.
But he couldn't. If he didn't have a reason before, he certainly had one now. His gaze drifted sideways to Illyana, who was clutching her knees tightly, visibly trembling. Hesitating slightly, he reached out and gently ruffled her messy golden hair. The gesture felt awkward, clumsy even, but Illyana didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned a little closer, just slightly, as if drawing comfort from it.
'Alright.' He thought, squaring his shoulders. He had to at least pretend to be ok, if he wasn't, then that would probably only make her even more worried.
Maybe it was shameful, but it did cross his mind to end both of their lives to spare themselves from what they might experience. But he quickly shoved that thought aside. He couldn't bring himself to hurt a kid. More importantly, he couldn't let himself abandon one.
Clearing his throat to steady his voice, he looked around their gloomy prison.
"I'm gonna try exploring the room." Alex said, forcing a faint smile as he rose to his feet. "Wanna help? Maybe you could tell me more about your brother while we search around. He sounds pretty cool."
Illyana's blue eyes widened slightly, brightening with cautious hope. Slowly, she stood up as well, moving quietly next to him.
"My brother's super strong." She began softly, enthusiasm seeping into her voice bit by bit. "Piotr can turn himself into metal. His whole body, it turns shiny, like polished silver. One time, he picked up a tank! He didn't even try hard or anything. He just… lifted it up, like it weighed nothing."
"Does your brother have a nickname by any chance?" Alex asked, the description sounding a little too familiar.
"Uh-huh." Illyana nodded proudly. "They call him Colossus. But I just call him Piotr. He always used to carry me on his shoulders. He's super gentle, even though he could squish bad guys like bugs if he wanted."
She giggled faintly at the mental image, the soft sound strangely comforting in the otherwise oppressive room.
"He always reads me bedtime stories, too, even when I fall asleep early. I told him I'm probably too old for them now, but I think he likes reading to me anyway. Sometimes I think he stays up just to watch over me while I sleep."
"Sounds like a pretty awesome big brother." Alex replied, managing a small chuckle despite their grim surroundings. "Wish I had powers like his right about now. All I've got is my big brain."
"That's still good." She answered, trying to sound positive. "I don't have any powers right now either. But…"
"But?" Alex asked, turning to see her looking down at the ground and shifting her weight awkwardly.
"Belasco mentioned I would awaken my power with his help. And that… that maybe if I trained, I would be able to help him faster. And then we could go home."
Hearing her, Alex froze, the gears in his mind spinning.
"Did… did Belasco mention why he wanted me?" Alex asked, trying to hide his emotions in his voice.
"No." Illyana answered with a shake of her head.
One of the most clichéd reasons a villain had for being a villain was that they wanted to conquer Earth. Or, well, to conquer whatever planet or area happened to be in their way. At least, that was the super simplified version of it.
Assuming Belasco had a similar goal, there was a chance that he was trapped in the hell they were in. And the reason he had brought them here was to escape.
Was he doing a bit of mental gymnastics and a ton of speculation to reach that conclusion? Yeah, probably, but right now, speculation was all he had to work with.
If his hunch was right, that brought up another crucial question: Why Illyana? And why him?
Maybe Belasco could sense mutant potential or something. Illyana was Colossus's sister, after all, maybe she had some latent ability connected to teleportation or portals. Sure, that idea was still a huge leap in logic, but at least it fit the circumstances.
But then, why was Belasco drawn to him?
The simplest explanation was the Omniversal travel. It wasn't exactly subtle, throwing yourself across realities. In a universe like Marvel's, filled to the brim with cosmic entities and dimensional threats, his arrival probably hadn't gone unnoticed. Maybe he'd made a splash, like ripples in some kind of cosmic pond, enough to make him a target for someone like Belasco.
The problem, though, was that Alex himself couldn't freely travel between dimensions. Not without another omniversal machine, and building one again wasn't even possible right now. He barely understood how the first one worked, let alone how to replicate it.
He sighed quietly, shaking his head. Overthinking wasn't going to help, not yet, at least. He needed more concrete information first.
They walked quietly through the room for a bit, carefully inspecting the dusty shelves and worn-out furniture scattered around. But aside from dust and disappointment, there wasn't much else to find. No helpful books, no hidden tools, not even something sharp he could improvise into a weapon.
To break the heavy silence, Alex glanced at Illyana and gently asked. "Do you know any of the other mutants at the mansion?" He figured keeping her talking might help ease both their nerves. Plus, the realization that Colossus had a sister he knew nothing about had reminded him just how limited his Marvel knowledge outside of the movies he had seen really was.
"You mean the other X-Men?" Illyana nodded slowly, looking thoughtful.
"Yeah. Wanna tell me about some of them?" Alex asked as he moved over to a large wooden bookshelf, gripping its edge and straining to drag it away from the wall, hoping something useful might have slipped behind it.
Illyana considered it quietly for a second, then her eyes brightened slightly.
"Ororo's really pretty." She began softly, a bit of excitement creeping into her voice. "She has white hair, and her eyes glow whenever she gets angry. Sometimes the wind listens to her even before she says anything. It rains when she's sad sometimes. But when she's fighting, she can shoot lightning, like real lightning from the sky."
"That's pretty awesome." Alex admitted, smiling faintly despite the frustration of finding nothing behind the shelf.
She nodded eagerly, continuing.
"And there's Kurt, he's blue, fuzzy, and smells like church candles. He actually kinda looks like Belasco. He talks kinda funny, and when he teleports he makes a little 'bamf!' noise. He scared me the first time, but now it's funny."
Alex chuckled lightly, mentally noting the details. Illyana seemed happy to talk, at least.
"Logan smells like old socks and metal, and he can pull out metal claws from his hands." She said with a mischievous grin. "He's always grumpy. But one time he gave me candy, and when I got scared during an escape drill, he sat down with me and told me he'd bite any shadows that tried anything."
"Really?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not really." Illyana grinned. "But, like, he said it. You know?"
That made both of them chuckle a little..
"Anyone else?" Alex prompted gently.
Her smile faded just a little, her eyes drifting downward.
"There's Rogue, she's kinda scary, but in a cool way. She doesn't like people getting too close, but she'd gave me her gloves when I forgot mine one time during winter and pretend it didn't matter. I think she's really lonely, but she'd never say it. Not even to Kitty."
"Who's Kitty?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Ah, Kitty is really nice! She talks a lot, like, a lot a lot, but her stories are always funny. She always smells like vanilla lip gloss. I like her."
Then, after stopping for a moment to think, she continued.
"There's Scott. He's nice, but kinda serious. And Jean… she's nice, but sometimes she looks like she's thinking really hard about stuff far away. Piotr said that it was because she could 'hear too much' and it gave her headaches."
Alex hesitated, sensing a heavier subject there, and decided not to push it. Jean Grey was someone he wasn't quite ready to unpack yet, either. He knew enough about the Phoenix not to want to get anywhere near her.
Illyana's footsteps slowed, and she spoke again, quieter this time.
"I miss them all. But Piotr… I miss him the most."
Alex's heart twisted slightly at her words. He knelt down beside her, meeting her wide-eyed, hopeful gaze directly.
"We'll get you back to him." He said firmly, more confident than he truly felt. "Somehow."
"Promise?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.
Alex froze for a moment… then crouched beside her, meeting her gaze.
"I promise to try."
~A/N~
First of all, I wanted to put a disclaimer, nothing is gonna happen between Illyana and Belasco. I'm using my author powers to state that immediately. I know in the comics there might be some subtext about it, but yeah, no. That's hella messed up.
Also, we finally get to meet Mr. Ghost! Did anyone guess it? I put little hints about it in the past few chaps, but like, they were hella minor lol. The missing student in chapter 4(which actually happens after Alex gets kidnapped too just from the way time works in Limbo.) Then also, Victoria Montesi being referenced, implying that Mr. Ghost was somewhat "demonic"/evil.
Beta Reader: @Basilisk, @Kiyan Tribe.
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